I am currently taking this course and indeed it is an excellent course. I am having problem completing exercise 23 & final challenge. If any who has taken this course would like to share information regarding these two exercises, I have enclosed my email below.

I have a question regarding this cert...Would some one starting network admin or security be able to take this course? I was looking over the course topics and it looks simple the couple of things. I worked in I.T for over 8 yrs but doing help desk and trouble shooting.

I worked with some MS system , and linux box (Fedora At the moment I'm running Vista and FC8 on my dell laptop.

I know some linux commands since i been doing work on my laptop. I'm just worried that if I sign up for this course I will be left behind.

•The student must have a solid understanding of Network Administration and TCP/IP, and a reasonable level of familiarity with Linux, in order to complete the course.• A modern PC, with the capability of displaying full screen video and sound.• A fast Internet connection to view or download the Videos.• A fast Internet connection to connect to the Offensive Security Labs over VPN.

The only thing that I'm worried about is the "understanding of Network Administration and TCP/IP" part... That could mean alot, since many network admin have different means. The tcp/ip thing I know how to configure them in windows and linux, but after that I know just a bit .

I think I just might look into studing more network admin and tcp/ip just to make sure.

also I tried to look for a price on all this on there site. I could not find anything, anyone have a link to it?

For the offensive-security 101 v2 standard price is $550.http://offensive-security.com/training.phpYour plan to study more in tcp/ip is definitely a good idea considering if you look around these forums on where people ask "where should I start?", etc, everyone does recommend getting a good grasp on Tcp/Ip.

I am new here and just wondered if any OSCP certified guys could help.

I am starting the course on 25th January. I am currently a dual CCIE (R&S, Sec)so I'll have no issues with the IP elements of the course, however my linux experience is very limited. I can do the very basics, ie move round the directory structure, copy files etc but that's about it.

I have no experience off shell scripting / python scripting and this is making me wonder how I'll find it...

I think you shouldn't have any problems. But if I were you I would at least read the basics on shell and python scripting prior to taking the course. It will help you save some time for researching other topics that you may need during your studies in order to complete an exercise or just fully understand a subject given in the course.

Hey wirespeed, looks like we'll be doing it at the same time I've just done my VPN test and thrown a handful of cash at the offensive security guys.

Hoping I've done the right thing, although having a good few years IT under my belt, and more than a passing interest in Security I still feel lacking in hands-on time (one reason I chose OSCP). I'm sure we'll both be fine though

How much Python is actually involved? is it really for Metasploit development or is there more to it?

yeah i have heard and seen that this certification is on constant self updates and more than any other course its exam doesnt mostly depend on ur course where but its more ur practically how are u going to defend and hunt down ur hunters...

me yet to get my hands on OSCPi feel J for my friends who have finished this such wonderfull certs

I think you should have a good hacking knowledge before taking this course.Based on what members who took this course say it's not easy to pass this course.I used to think that I could pass this course but I'm reconsidering my decision and improving my skills.Perhaps a six-eight month practice with the tools will do it for me. I advice you to improve your skills and knowledge before taking this course too.

6-8 months practice with the tools? Sounds like you'll be damn prepared. You should definitely start looking into the tools on Back Track 4 as well because in that time my guess is that v4 should be stable and they may have out the Off Sec 101 v3 class that's utilizing Back Track 4 as an attack box. If I were you Xen, I wouldn't underestimate yourself, I don't know your schedule but you are given that 30 day lab *or 60 day* access which is a perfect place to practice and gets that hands on training!

its not exactly u should have a hacking knowledge , u should know You should start by knowing how HTTP works, the basics of web application development and you should also read a lot about Cross Site Scripting, SQL injection, remote file inclusion and other common vulnerabilities. A good place to start is the OWASP site, and particularly the OWASP TOP 10.